Wire handling apparatus



Sept. 10, 1963 E. J. CRUM WIRE HANDLING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 10, 1960 TNVENTOR E. J. CRUM ILN ATTORNEY Sept. 10, 1963 E. J. CRUM WIRE HANDLING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug; 10, 1960 INVEb ITOR E. J. CRUM BY WW )J ATTORNEY United States Patent ice 3,103,237 WIRE HANDHNG APPARATUS Eben Jelierson Crnm, Rt). Box 6763, To'wson, Md. 1 Filed Aug. 10, 1960,83er. No. 48,700

11 Claims. (Cl. 140-2) This invention relates to the handling of wire or rodlike materials and it is more particularly concerned with apparatus and methods ior processing such materials in continuous lengths. vAn object of the invention the provision of a method and of apparatus for carrying out the method by which the -material is automatically arranged in aform suitable for receiving treatment, then carried through a treatment zone and then rearranged into package form.

Another object of the invention is the provision of such a method and apparatusby virute of which the treatment may be effected in a continuous manner.

A funtherobject of the invention is the provision of such a method and apparatus by virtueof which the material is arranged in a form such that a relatively large area thereof is subjected to treatment in a relatively small treatment zone at any given time.

LA still further object of the invention is the provision Q of such a method and apparatus whereby the material to bet-reated is arranged on a conveyor system in the form. of successive loops which are passed through a treatment zone in'that form, and then the loops. are rearranged-into a package for stor-age'and transportation. A still further object of the invention is to impart differential motion to adjacent loops as they are being transferred by the "conveyor system so as to rearrange the relative positions thereof for various purposes.

A still further object of the invention is. the provision of apparatus for receiving wire or rod-like materials to be formed into a coil and subjecting the material to a desired treatment as an integral part of the handling for the coiling procedure, thereby conserving a number of operations as compared to previously known procedures.

' FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of a part of the belt conveyor and loops carried thereby.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the invention partly broken away, showing the use of tandem belt conveyors to pass a layer of loops through a tank of liquid.

Referring with more particularity to the drawing in which like numerals designate like parts, the embodiment illustrated in FLGS. la, 1b and 2 comprises a loopforming device, generally designated by the letter A, a treatment zone or chamber B and a coiling unit C.

The loop forming device A comprises a conventional form of stationary block 11 around which loops 12. are formed at the top from a length of wire lil. continuously fed to it. These loops are discharged from the bottom of the block serially. A suitable form of block and an explanation of its various parts and functions is set 'forth in more detail in my copen-ding application for patent Ser. No. 773,444, filed November 12, 1958, Patent No. 3,061,229.

Below the block 11 there is disposed a belt conveyor the [track 36 and is rotatable thereon.

Patented Sept. 10, F963 13 comprising a pair of laterally spaced endless belts 13a and 1317 supported on end rollers 14 and 15 and as many additional rollers (not shown) as might be needed to support any given length of belt. The belt conveyor is driven by a variable speed motor 16 connected by a belt 17 and pulleys 18 and 19 to thet'ake-ofr" shaft 20 of the motor or any other-suitable source of power. Other suitable gearing means may also be used.

The end rollers 14 and 15 are rotatably supported by pairs of rear columns 21 and 2-2 and forward columns 23 and 24, respectively. The forward columns 23 and 24 support the roller 15 on forwardly projecting cantilever arms 25,26 so as to overhang the mouth or intake of the coil-forming unit C, said unit being disposed therebelow.

The coil forming unit C comprises a vertical cylinder shell 27 supported by suspenders 28 from an overhead structural member 29' or by any other suitable means. The diameter of the cylinder 27 is equal to the diameter of the coil to be formed and larger than the diameter of the loops 12. v

The cylinder 27 is surrounding by an annular track 30 having an annular groove 31 at the bottom for receiving the upper edge of the cylinder. A sprocket wheel 32 comp-rises an inverted annular channel 33 which engages This sprocket wheel meshes with a sprocket chain 34 which, in turn, meshes with sprocket wheel 35 of a powered shaft35, such as of a variable speed electric motor 37 or some other suitable-source of power.

The motor 37 may be supported by hangers 38 from the'st-ructur-al overhead member 29. I

Oneend of a deflector arm 39 is welded or otherwise I secured to the wheel 32 at an angle such that the opposite end of the arm extends diagonally downward on the inside of the cylinder 27 to a point spaced from the opposite side a distance substantially equal to the diameter of the loops 12.

Below the cylinder 27 there is disposed an elevator 46 projecting inwardly cantileverwise from a vertically movable member 41 slidable mounted between columns 42 and 43 to one side of the cylinder 27. The elevator is adapted to removably support a conventional skid 44.

The elevator is vertically moved by means of a hydraulicjack 45, the ram 46 of which is provided with a pulley 47 at the top engaging a chain or cable 43. One end of the cable is connected to the member 41 and the other end is anchored to a bracket 49 secured to the stationary cylinder 50 of the jack.

At a point below the bottom of the arm 39 and above the bottom of the cylinder 27, there are disposed a pair of diametrically opposite openings 51 and 52. A light source 53 is disposed on one side to project a beam of light across the cylinder from one of these openings to the other onto a photoelectric cell 54 at the opposite side of the cylinder 27. The photoelectric cell is conventionally electrically connected to a solenoid hydraulic valve 55 in the hydraulic line 55a of the jack 45 so that when the light beam is broken, the valve is opened to release fluid from the supporting column of liquid in the jack to lower the ram 46 and, hence, lower the elevator 40 until the coil in the cylinder falls below the light beam, whereupon the light beam again falls on the photoelectric cell to close the solenoid valve 55 and thus arrest further downward movement of the elevator.

By these means, the loops of wire fall down from the belt conveyor, drop into the upper end of the cylinder 27 and, as the sprocket wheel 32 rotates, the coils are displaced in a helical pattern by the arm 39 in overlapping relation to form a circular coneless coil or bundle 56. As incremental portions of the bundle are formed on the platform, the platform is automatically lowered, as eX- 3 plained above, until the desired amount of loops are included in the bundle, whereupon the bundle resting on the skid 44 is removed and a fresh skid put in its place.

As the loops fall from the block 11 onto the belt conveyor 13, the degree of overlap of uccessive loops can be controlled by varying the speed of the motor 116 or otherwise varying the relative speed of the belt conveyor 13 in relation to the frequency with which the loops 12 are discharged by the block.

The loops carried by the belt conveyor 13 may be subjected to processing steps, such as conventional pickling or acid treatment, annealing, heat treatments of various kinds, coating, descaling, cleaning, etc, or any combination of treatments. To illustrate this feature of the invention, there is shown in the drawing an enclosure 57 as a treatment chamber or zone symbolic of all the various treatments to which the loops may be subjected, such as being sprayed with a liquid from nozzles 58. It is to to be understood, therefore, that this showing is for the purpose of illustration only and not the for purpose of limitation.

The walls of the enclosure, where appropriate, are provided with an inlet 59 and an outlet 60, respectively, for the passage of the belt conveyor 13- and loops carried thereby, substantially as shown.

The overall operation of the apparatus is as follows: As the loops 12 are formed by unit A and as they are discharged therefirom one at a time, they fall on the belt conveyor 13. Due to the motion or the belt conveyor, the loops spread out in overlapping relation in a linear position on the belt in the direction of its motor, the degree of overlap depending upon the speed of the belt conveyor in relation to the frequency of discharge of the loops thereon. The loops, thus supported on the belt conveyor, are carried through one or more treatment zones, symbolized by the chamber or enclosure 57 and then discharged at the opposite end of the conveyor into the coil forming unit C where they are formed into a bundle 56 as explained above.

The schematic diagram of FIG. 3 illustrates a tank 61 containing a liquid 62 which may be for cleaning, coat ing impregnation, plating, or for other treatment of the loops.

A belt conveyor 63 extends from the unit A to one end of tank 61. A belt conveyor 64 has a downwardly sloping section 65 extending from conveyor 63 below the surface of the liquid 62.

An upwardly sloping section 66 of belt conveyor 64 extends firom the forward end of the section 65 to the opposite end of tank 61. Between this point and coiler station C, additional conveyors in tandem, such as the belt conveyors 67 and 68 are disposed to carry the loops through various treatment stations or Zones, such as those indicated on the drawing. By the use of separate conveyors at different stations, the loops can be rearranged relative to each other to secure the best advantage for the particular treatment.

Each of the belt conveyors comprises laterally spaced endless belts as in the case of the belts 13a and 13b of the conveyor 13 and is driven by separate variable speed IIlO tors 69, 70, '71 and 72, in order to permit changing the relative positions of the loops as they pass from conveyor to conveyor.

For example, by driving the belt conveyor 67 faster than conveyor 64, the loops will be spread out more on the conveyor 67. This would, among other things, permit areas covered by the overlapping of the loops on conveyor 64 to become exposed on the conveyor 67 The proper spacing of the loops is also important in the formation of the coils at the station C. Accordingly, the speed of the belt conveyor 68 can be adjusted in relation to the speed of operation of the coiling apparatus.

The use of such tandem variable speed conveyors to change the position of the loops is generally illustrative of means that may be employed to shift the position of the a V loops. F or example, a stationary abutment, like the bar 74 (see FIGS. 1a andZ), may be placed in the path or movement of the loops adjacent the edges to move the loops sideways.

Also, the belt conveyors may be in a straight line, or at an angle. Further, the pair of belts of each conveyor may be independently mounted (not shown) and independently driven at slightly different speeds to elfect a shifting of the loops relative to each other. It is to be understood,

therefore, that any means for imparting differential mo tion to adjacent loops as they me being conveyed, is within the scope of this invention.

It is also to be understood that the invention is not limited to a conveyor system comprising belts, but also includes other conventional conveyor systems, such as roller conveyors, gravity slides, fiourdrinier screens, etc.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. Wire handling apparatus comprising a conveyor having a loading station and a discharge end; a stationary device directly above the conveyor at the loading station for receiving a continuohs length of oastable wire, presetting the wire into a series of consecutive circular loops of uniform diameter and dropping the preset loops one at a time directly onto the conveyor at the loading station, said conveyor being adapted to support the loops in a fiat, generally horizontal position, whereby the loops in falling on the conveyor, can be made, due to the motion of the conveyor relative to the device, to become arranged thereon in overlapping relation with each loop overlying its immediately preceding loop and underlying its immediately succeed-ing loop; a unit at the discharge end of the con veyor for receiving the loops and arranging them in the form of a bundle on a horizontal surface, said unit having a horizontal platform being positioned directly below the discharge end of the conveyor, whereby each loop so arranged to underlie its immediately succeeding loop is disengaged theretrom and simultaneously removed therefrom in the form of a loop by the force of gravity alone and without the need for any intermediate rearrangement of the loops relative to the conveyor, means for moving the preset loops bodily relative to the platform in a horizontal direction as they fall.

2. Wire handling apparatus comprising a conveyor having a loading station and a discharge end; a stationary device directly above the conveyor at the loading station for receiving a continuous length of castable Wire, presetting the wire into a series of consecutive circular loops or" uni term diameter and dropping the preset loops one at a time directly onto the conveyor at the loading station, said conveyor being adapted to support the loops in a flat, generally horizontal position, whereby the loops in falling on the conveyor, can be made, due to the motion of the conveyor relative to the device, to become arranged thereon in overlapping relation with each loop overlying its immediately preceding loop and underlying its immediately succeeding loop; a unit :at the discharge end of the conveyor for receiving the loops and arranging them in the form of a bundle on a horizontal surface, said unit having a horizontal platform and being positioned directly below the discharge end of the conveyor, whereby each loop so arranged to underlie its immediately succeeding loop is disengaged therefrom and simultaneously removed therefrom in the form of a loop by the force of gravity alone and without the need for any intermediate rearrangement of the loops relative to the conveyor, means for moving the loops bodily relative to the platform in a horizontal direction as they fall, and means between said load-ing station and discharge end for treating the loops as they are conveyed by the conveyor.

3. Wire handling apparatus as defined by claim 2, and means for varying the speed of the conveyor independently of the frequency with which the loops are discharged by the device, thereby to permit varying the degree of overlapping of successive loops on the conveyor.

4. Wire handling apparatus comprising a conveyor having a loading station and a discharge end; a stationary device directly above the conveyor at the loading station for receiving a continuous length of castable wire, presetting the wire into a series of consecutive circular loops of uniform diameter and dropping the preset loops one at a time directly onto the conveyor at the loading station, whereby the loops in falling on the conveyor, can be made, due to the motion of the conveyor relative to the device, to become arranged thereon in overlapping relation with each loop overlying its immediately preceding loop and underlying its immediately succeeding loop; a unit at the discharge end of the conveyor for receiving the loops and arranging them in the form of a bundle on a horizontal surface, said unit having a horizontal platform and being positioned directly below the discharge end of the conveyor, whereby each loop so arranged to underlie its immediately succeeding loop is disengaged therefrom and simultaneously removed therefrom in the form of a loop by the force of gravity alone and Without the need for any intermediate rearrangement of the loops relative to the conveyor, means for moving the loops bodily relative to the platform in a horizontal direction as they fall, and means forming a chamber surrounding a portion of saidconveyor, said chamber comprising a treatment zone for said loops, said chamber having entrance and exit openings for said conveyor and for loops of Wire carried thereby.

5. Wire handling apparatus as defined by claim 2, means tor supporting the conveyor at its loading station and at its discharge end; and a variable speed motor for driving said conveyor.

6. Wire handling apparatus comprising a conveyor having a loading station and a discharge end; a stationary device directly above the conveyor at the loading station for receiving a continuous length of wire, casting the wire into a series of consecutive circular loops of uniform diameter and thereafter dropping the loops one at a time directly onto the conveyor at the loading station, said conveyor being adapted to support the loops in a flat, generally horizontal position in a plane substantially parallel to the direction of motion of the conveyor, whereby the loops, in falling on the conveyor, can be made, due to the motion of the conveyor relative to the device, to become arranged thereon in overlapping relation with, each loop overlying its immediately preceding loop and underlying its immediately succeeding loop; a unit at the discharge end of the conveyor for receiving the loops and arranging them in the form of a bundle on a horizontal surface, said unit being positioned directly below the discharge end of the conveyor, whereby each loop so arranged to underlie its immediately succeeding loop is disengaged therefrom and simultaneously discharged therefrom in the form of a loop by the force of gravity alone and without the need for any intermediate rearrangement of the loops relative to the conveyor, and

6 means between said loading station and discharge end for treating the loops as they are conveyed by the conveyor and means positioned proximate to said treating means for shifting the positions of consecutive loops on the conveyor relative to each other.

7. Wire handling apparatus as defined by claim 6- in which the means for shifting the relative positions of consecutive loops comprises a stationary member. above the conveyor in the path of movement of the loops.

8. Wire handling apparatus as defined by claim 2 in which theconveyor comprises a belt conveyor.

9. Wire handling apparatus as defined by claim 8 in which the belt conveyor comprises a pair of laterally spaced endless belts and means for driving them simultaneously.

10. Apparatus as defined by claim 2 in which the conveyor comprises a first section and a second section arranged in juxtaposition tandernwise, and means for driving said sections at difierent relative velocities, whereby the loops in passing 'rom one section to the other will become rearranged relative to each other when the sections are operated at different velocities.

11. Apparatus as defined by claim 2 in which the conveyor comprises a first section and a second section arranged in juxtaposition tandemwise located proxirnate to said treatment means, and means for driving said sections at different relative velocities whereby the loops in passing from one section to the other will become rearranged relative to each other when the sections are operated at different velocities.

References (Cited in the fileof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 586,866 Potter July 20, 1897 1,445,899 McGregor Feb. 20, 1923 1,490,544 Stern Apr. 15, 1924 1,597,465 Hepperle Aug. 24, 1926 1,959,238 Horsfield May 15, 1934 1,972,489 Rideout et 'al. Sept. 4, 1934 2,572,325 Ernst Oct. 23, 1951 2,629,564 Bell Feb. 24, 1953 2,840,224 Lefief June 24, 1958 2,847,171 Keesee Aug. 12, 1953 2,863,615 Kenmore et al. Dec. 9, 1958 2,880,850 Keathleyet al. Apr. 7, 1959 2,915,168 Whitmore Dec. 1, 1959 2,936,508 Buddecke 2. May 17, 1960 2,953,234 Abenschein Sept. 20, 1960 2,954,180 Crum Sept. 27, 1960 2,959,271 Adamson Nov. 8,1960 3,056,433 Haugwitz Oct. 2, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,163,310 France Apr. 21, 1958 

1. WIRE HANDLING APPARATUS COMPRISING A CONVEYOR HAVING A LOADING STATION AND A DISCHARGE END; A STATIONARY DEVICE DIRECTLY ABOVE THE CONVEYOR AT THE LOADING STATION FOR RECEIVING A CONTINUOUS LENGTH OF CASTABLE WIRE, PRESETTING THE WIRE INTO A SERIES OF CONSECUTIVE CIRCULAR LOOPS OF UNIFORM DIAMETER AND DROPPING THE PRESET LOOPS ONE AT A TIME DIRECTLY ONTO THE CONVEYOR AT THE LOADING STATION, SAID CONVEYOR BEING ADAPTED TO SUPPORT THE LOOPS IN A FLAT, GENERALLY HORIZONTAL POSITION, WHEREBY THE LOOPS IN FALLING ON THE CONVEYOR, CAN BE MADE, DUE TO THE MOTION OF THE CONVEYOR RELATIVE TO THE DEVICE, TO BECOME ARRANGED THEREON IN OVERLAPPING RELATION WITH EACH LOOP OVERLYING ITS IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING LOOP AND UNDERLYING ITS IMMEDIATELY SUCCEEDING LOOP; A UNIT AT THE DISCHARGE END OF THE CONVEYOR FOR RECEIVING THE LOOPS AND ARRANGING THEM IN THE FORM OF A BUNDLE ON A HORIZONTAL SURFACE, SAID UNIT HAVING A HORIZONTAL PLATFORM BEING POSITIONED DIRECTLY BELOW THE DISCHARGE END OF THE CONVEYOR, WHEREBY EACH LOOP SO ARRANGED TO UNDERLIE ITS IMMEDIATELY SUCCEEDING LOOP IS DISENGAGED THEREFROM AND SIMULTANEOUSLY REMOVED THEREFROM IN THE FORM OF A LOOP BY THE FORCE OF GRAVITY ALONE AND WITHOUT THE NEED FOR ANY INTERMEDIATE REARRANGEMENT OF THE LOOPS RELATIVE TO THE CONVEYOR, MEANS FOR MOVING THE PRESET LOOPS BODILY RELATIVE TO THE PLATFORM IN A HORIZONTAL DIRECTION AS THEY FALL. 